The King Neighborhood Welcomes Portland's First Upscale Balkan Restaurant

Eater

2 days ago

One of the Portland area's most promising chefs is about to take his pop-up to its permanent location. Vedran Jordan will host the grand opening for his Alma on Friday, June 13. Jordan's run to this opening is the stuff of modern-day restaurant fable: He came to the country as a 12-year-old refugee from Sarajevo, cut his teeth cooking at Bamboo Sushi, Gado Gado, Oma's Hideaway, with chef Gregory Gourdet at Kann, and then opened Alma in honor of his mother. Getting ready for the Balkan restaurant's opening, he's focused on making sure the kitchen lives up to all that hype. 'I feel extremely lucky to have the crew that I have,' Jordan says. 'Currently, everyone is really putting everything they have into it. I really can't be more thankful.'
The food and drink at the reservation-only restaurant include a suite of 'Ottoman-era' dishes. Since announcing the debut, a few more items have been added to the opening roster. The imam bayildi is a particular highlight in Jordan's mind, a half-roasted eggplant marinated overnight in water with added Vegeta — sort of like a 'Bosnian MSG,' Jordan says — before the innards are scooped out and tossed with aromatics, chilies, and tomatoes. It's then served with toum yogurt and green zhoug. The kanpachi crudo arrives dressed in black Moroccan salt, housemade citrus kosho, and ginger, the fish itself sourced from local purveyor Aji Fish Butchery. The baba ghanoush and lamb shank are no small feats, either.
The drinks at Alma are thoughtfully prepared by beverage director Chris Mateja, formerly of Nightingale. Liquors from all over, including South America and the Balkans, feature on the vibrant, bright cocktails. There are three rakias on the menu, too. Rakia is a Balkan fruit brandy, and at Alma, grape, plum, and a secret third flavor are all featured, with three more coming down the road. The spirits are custom-made for the restaurant by Andy Garrison from Tuff Talk Distilling.
Mostly, the restaurant — a pretty space in the King neighborhood — is meant to be a positive impact on the community. During the first week, five percent of all sales proceeds will be donated to The Sameer Project, a donations-based aid initiative led by Palestinians. On the local level, Jeremy Fong works as the chef de cuisine, Mo Morales as sous chef, and Emily Gilmer as general manager. This cast of characters is just as important to Jordan as any other part of the business; he says, if he's lucky, Alma will be known for its hard working, compassionate pros. 'Something that's very sustainable,' he says, 'I want to make sure people are pursuing their passions and always learning.'
Alma (5237 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) opens Friday, June 13 with opening hours from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday to Monday, by reservation only.
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